vo: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. making news in america this morning. >> a man enters a board meeting with a gun and a grudge. what happened next will astonish you. nature's wrath. snow-bound roads trap drivers for 25 hours. why a rare december tornado tears apart a small town. and resort robbed. a thief steals more than $1 million in casino chips from one of the biggest hotels in vegas. good morning. well, it was supposed to be a routine school board meeting in panama city, florida, when a gunman with a grudge opened fire. >> despite an exchange of

bullets, the terrifying ordeal ended with only the shooter dead. bill weir describes how all this drama unfolded. we have to warn you. some of the images may be disturbing. >> reporter: business as usual stopped when 56-year-old clay duke stepped to the front of the room, and began spray painting the wall with an ominous symbol, seen in the movie "v for vendetta." >> hinted that something odd was happening. >> reporter: nadine yanis, a reporter, hit the floor. moments later, a board member sneaks behind duke and tries to knock the gun from his hand with her purse. >> if he wanted to kill her at that moment, he could have. and he didn't. >> reporter: duke lets her go. and tension builds as he rants at the male board members over a sales tax increase. while superintendent bill husfelt tries to calm him.

>> i don't want anybody to get hurt. and i got a feeling is what you want the cops to come in and kill you because you're mad. >> i am going to die today. >> why? this isn't worth it. this is a problem. please don't. please don't. please. >> reporter: duke fires wildly. four shots. all of them miss. he then crumples to the floor. as he lay wounded, duke used the remaining bullet to take his life. >> police were there within minutes. and we had the sheriff's office and the panama city police department there, working the scene. >> reporter: here's another look at the moment of horror. another reminder of just how miraculous it is no one else was hurt. >> but why? this isn't worth it. this is a problem -- please don't. please don't. please. >> i'm gonna kill you.

[ gunfire ] >> mike jones was treated for heart palpitations after the shooting but could be okay. >> the school superintendent, also acted bravely, as you saw. afterwards, he talked about being at the other end of that gun. >> this was a no-win situation. and mike jones did what he had to do. and god bless him. >> we don't want to make it an armory where you have to go through all kinds of things to come in. but obviously, we don't ever want to go through that again. i thought i was shot. i think it was a .45 caliber. you said a pistol. that looked like a shotgun when it was pointed at me. >> i was prepared if i was going to die. i knew what i would end up. but i didn't want to die today. >> ginger littleton also appears to have escaped death. you can see her there. she is the only female member of the board. she snuck up behind the gunman and hit him with her large purse. >> my choice was to walk away.

and i had no doubt in my mind that he was going to kill everyone sitting in those chairs. can i walk away and live with myself? or do i have to do something that may turn out to be very stupid? >> littleton says the gunman pointed directly at her. but for some reason, did not pull that trigger. we'll hear more of the stories when they join us later on "good morning america." turning to capitol hill today. the president's tax cut plan is expected to easily pass in the senate later today. debate then will shift to the house, where a vote could come by friday. the white house says it expects enough democrats will join republicans to ensure the bill's passage. also in the house today, a vote is expected on a bill to repeal the military's don't ask, don't tell policy, which, of course, bans gays from serving openly. the likely house action is meant to pressure the senate into also taking up the issue before it adjourns. our new abc news poll finds now that 77% of americans now

believe gays should be allowed to openly serve. the arctic blast that has left much of the east coast frozen solid is not loosening up its grip just yet, as more heavy snow hits the midwest and northeast. windchills are making it feel like the teens in atlanta and the 20s in parts of florida. and the deep freeze is taking a toll just across the border. here's karen travers. >> reporter: the massive arctic blast swept down through the united states from canada. that doesn't mean it spared our neighbors to the north. in ontario, a freak blizzard on monday stranded more than 300 drivers for nearly 30 hours. >> i had a couple bottles of soda and breakfast bars i had been rationing. i had extra coats in my car. i covered myself up. >> reporter: the canadian military used helicopters to rescue people, trapped by blowing snow and zero visibility. there were no deaths or injuries. the record-setting cold went deep into the south. >> it's like pouring the arctic

air straight down into florida. >> reporter: this frigid air turned crops into popsicles. taking the worst beating? >> tomatoes, bell peppers. any of the leafy types. >> reporter: florida farmers are doing everything they can to fight the deadly forecast. spraying water to keep the temperatures around their fruits and vegetables above freezing. this tactic is expensive and dangerous. three helicopters have crashed already this season in palm beach. these french tourists came to orlando for some fun in the sun. but they're not getting much use out of their bathing suits. >> we have a pool. but the water is too much cold. >> reporter: but not too cold for some adventurous surfers in miami. >> yesterday was the best day to catch surf. >> reporter: warmer temperatures are expected in the deep south by the end of the week. but that may be a short reprieve, with colder weather roaring back next week.

karen travers, abc news. and there was more wild weather in oregon. the tiny town of omsville is recovering after a twister tore through the area. six families were displaced. but there were no serious injuries. tornados in oregon are almost unheard of. there's been only four touchdowns in the past decade. and the heavy snow that broke through the roof of minnesota's metrodome over the weekend actually did more damage than first thought. inspectors in minneapolis say the roof will not be repaired in time for monday night's vikings/bears game. that game will be moved to the roofless university of michigan stadium. what's in store for today? more snow from minneapolis, fargo. freezing rain. showers along the gulf coast. another half-foot of snow around the great lakes.

in buffalo, rochester and erie. >> a wet 43 in seattle. teens in fargo and the twin cities. 20s from omaha to detroit and the northeast. 36 degrees in atlanta. and 66 degrees in new orleans. and when we come back on this wednesday morning, one megabank's new dress code. right down to the correct underwear. and police on a lookout for a bandit that stole more than $1 million in casino chips. a real-life "ocean's eleven" heist.

welcome back, everybody. time, now, for a check of market activities, starting overseas. tokyo's nikkei average fell less than 0.1% today. meanwhile, hong kong's hang seng is sharply lower. and in london, the ftse opened lower. on wall street, the dow climbed 48 points yesterday. the nasdaq inched up almost three points. president obama will be looking for some new ideas to jump-start job growth today. he's hosting a summit with chief executives from 20 companies, including american express, general electric, and google. education, trade, taxes and the deficit are also expected to top the agenda. the federal reserve says they are not seeing enough evidence that hiring is picking up. the central bank announced tuesday it will maintain a $600 billion bond buying program, which is aimed at lowering interest rates and encouraging spending. the fed says the economy is still too weak to bring down unemployment.

but there is some evidence that's about to change that. a new survey finds 45% of executives for some of the nation's biggest companies plan to hire within six months. that's the highest percentage in eight years. well, if you thought dress codes were just for private schools, you better think again. swiss banking giant, ubs, has now issued some extensive guidelines for its workers. 43 pages of dos and don'ts, as well as hygiene and even grooming tips. for example, women are advised against wearing black nail polish. while stubble is simply out of the question for us men. >> a lot of advice on breath. no garlic. no cigarette breath. >> they say short skirts are off-limits. they should reach the middle of the knee. and, men, your underwear should be of good quality. >> didn't know they were checking that. coming up on this wednesday, a medical miracle. doctors claiming an american man with hiv was cured. and then, the search for a serial killer here in new york after a number of bodies are found at a popular beach.

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side effects may include nausea, dizziness an sweating. (woman) for me, pristiq is a key in helping to treat my depression. (announcer) ask your doctor about pristiq. hundreds of manatees are now keeping warm by huddling near a power plant in florida. the plant itself was torn down to make way for a new one. but the company has installed a multimillion-dollar water heating pump to accommodate the manatees that have been making the annual trip there for 50 years. as for this morning's road conditions. snow and ice on i-94, from fargo to the twin cities. also, i-90 from sioux falls to wisconsin. and from cleveland to buffalo. snow-covered roads in the northern rockies. and wet on i-5, from seattle to san francisco. >> and if you're flying today, you can expect airport delays in seattle, san francisco, salt lake city, minneapolis, kansas city, as well as in memphis.

a tragedy is unfolding on a remote island this morning. a wooden boat packed with passengers smashed against the rocks and sunk near christmas island. officials say at least 27 people have died. the boat was apparently carrying dozens of passengers seeking asylum. australia is a prime destination for people from poor countries seeking a new life. back here at home, police in las vegas say an armed bandit needed just three minutes inside the bellagio casino in order to pull off a major heist. a surveillance camera caught him running out, after stealing $1.5 million in chips. it's believed the same guy stole $20,000 from another casino just last week. luckily, nobody inside was hurt. >> he didn't confront any of the customers, with the exception of moving them back from the craps table. he simply took the casino chips that were -- i don't know what you call the area. the box that they keep on the craps table. >> the chips that the gunman got away with, had values ranging from $100 to $25,000.

the bellagio says it is monitoring gamblers using high-value chips. four bodies have been found on a barren beach on long island, new york. and police say they may have been dumped there by a serial killer. they made the grisly discovery while searching for a missing prostitute. two of the victims were women. but it could take weeks to find out who they are. and in oklahoma, volunteers are now scrambling after a skunk sprayed thousands of dollars worth of christmas gifts. the presents were supposed to go to hundreds of needy children on friday. the donations were being stored in outdoor sheds where the -- when the skunk stopped by. as you head out this morning, most folks can be thankful they're not in dallas. a new survey finds drivers in the big "d" have the worst commute. they average 28 minutes each way to work and spend about $600 a month just on commuting costs. others in the top five, san jose, houston, miami and phoenix. drivers in eugene, oregon, had it the easiest. a round-trip ride of under half an hour.

doctors in germany believe they have cured an hiv patient. an american man with hiv had a blood stem cell transplant to treat leukemia. now, three years later, doctors say he is showing no signs of either infection. they say the donor was a good match. plus, he has a gene mutation that creates a natural resistance to hiv. doctors say the approach is too risky for wide use and not practical unless the patient has cancer. time, now, for sports news this morning, including a couple of college basketball upsets. we get the details from jonathan coachman at espn news. >> good morning. time for your espn news update. we're going to go to louisville. the cardinals, on to their best start in 14 years. rick pitino's squad into the top 25 for the first time. and it may be short-lived. dartaye ruffin and drexel puts his team up by three. under five minutes to play.

yannick forboar, the post. the kick. drexel up by five. tate siva gets his shot blocked. drexel, wins a low-scoring affair, 52-46. oakland university lost by one to michigan state over the weekend. they were on the road at number seven tennessee on tuesday. and they were playing. cameron tatum, though. the volunteers, everything looks fine. up by seven. tennessee coming off an upset of number three pittsburgh. now, keith vincent, a game-high 26. oakland up by three. time winding down, under a minute to play. larry wright, the dagger. oakland wins by seven, shocking tennessee at home. how about tennessee's women's squad? ranked number six, taking on number three, baylor, who has brittney griner. she can dunk easily. however, she did not dunk in the game. but she did do a lot of that. blocking.

blocking. and blocking. then, inside, griner. later in the second half. how about 21 points, 9 blocks. baylor wins by 11. that's going to do it for now. i'm jonathan coachman. back to you guys in new york. well, something of a blending of sports and hollywood on this next cover of "sports illustrated." >> mark wahlberg and christian bale are on the cover, posing as their characters in the new movie "the fighter." it's just the third time that a nonathlete, other than a swimsuit model has been on the cover. well, both wahlberg and bale received golden globe nominations tuesday for their roles in "the fighter." the film was one of the leaders in total nominations this year. >> but the movie with the most was the preworld war ii story, "the king's speech." it garnered seven nominations.

"the fighter" with six. and "the social network" had six. coming up next, the stories we'll be following today. including how you can see what some consider to be the greatest baseball game ever. ♪ the latest dvd's ♪ lip gloss, gift cards, candy, shampoo ♪ ♪ anything for me? ♪ oh, stocking stuffers from walgreens ♪ ♪ you'll be glad you came ♪ get hershey's kisses chocolates ♪ ♪ in a great big candy cane [ female announcer ] stuff all your stockings in one easy trip to walgreens and get $5 in walgreens super jingle cash with every $25 you spend. good for anything in the store. [ female announcer ] stay jolly with walgreens.

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executives today, looking for ways to jump-start job growth. the president will also try to convince corporate america to spend some of the nearly $2 trillion in cash it's still holding. on capitol hill, the senate is expected to pass president obama's tax cut plan. and the house votes on repealing the don't ask, don't tell policy against gays serving in the military. a new exhibit opens near the liberty bell in philadelphia, showing the outline of the mansion that was home to presidents washington and adams. it also pays tribute to the slaves who served in the house. and what's been called the greatest baseball game ever, game seven of the 1960 world series, between the pirates and yankees, is being shown tonight on the mlb network. it's the first time the complete game will be broadcast since it was played. the tape was recently discovered at the home of the late bing crosby. well, coming up later on "good morning america," robin roberts takes us inside barbra streisand's new malibu home. it's a rare look at the reclusive star's inner world. for some of you, your local

news is next. >> for everyone else, the late-night comics on the chilly weather. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions

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now, "good morning, maryland." family members stood in the cold and watched in the disspare and disbelief. three adults and three children die in a fire in east baltimore. the second leading cause of lung cancer. you can't smell or see it, but it can be prevented. an early morning glass of oj look at it because it is going to cost more. the deep freeze in florida doing more than making snow birds chilly. >> i say don't look at it. drink it. >> yeah. it's about to get more expensive. >> all right. thanks for joining us, wednesday, middle of the week. i am megan pringle. >> i am charlie crowson. before we get started on the hump day, let's check in with justin berk for a look at that wednesday forecast. what is in store justin?

good morning. >> reporter: good morning. another day to shiver. cold is staying with us, but we have two systems to talk about southern storms. and that's going to be a big wringle in the forecast. the question is, do we get clipped by them or missed. looks like the thursday event the light snow possible and hooks like we are staying on target with it. mostly being to the south of baltimore. there's a chance we get snow. mainly light but a better chance at southern sections south of annapolis getting more and southeast virginia. and unfortunately, looks like the same spots may get hit on sunday. i say unfor knit for snow lovers but southeast virginia could be clobbered and we could be on the edge uncertain about what happens with the coastal thing on sunday. it would be fun to see snow at the ravens game, but that lead together forecast in a few minutes. 15 in manchester. don't shake your head no. that would be fun in december. 17 in bel air. and 20 currently in sparrows point. aiming for a high of 30. but at least the wind is